Tuesday 17 September 2019

Firstly, I would like thank everyone who was involved with the organisation in last Friday’s speech day, and congratulate again all senior prize winners.  It was a wonderful occasion which added to the already positive start we have had to the new academic year.  It was a good day for the school.

 

Congratulations to all rugby squads at the weekend for bringing home a clean sheet of wins for the School beating Gravesend Grammar School at U18, U15, U14 and U13 levels.  Well done boys, an excellent start to the season; long may it continue.  Next week is Cranbrook School.

 

Also, we are delighted to be able to share the further good news that we last week secured planning permission for our all-weather pitch project.  We can now very soon begin construction of the pitch which is very much needed as the school continues to expand.

 

This week all form tutors are arranging meetings to see parents of year 13 students to discuss what they can expect from us over the coming year, and understand how the UCAS process is going to work.  At these meetings the UCAS predicted grades and elements of the UCAS reference will be shared with the students so they can understand where they currently are and what they can do to improve.

 

Also starting from this week we have a number of library launch events that have been planned to mark the opening of the new library.  The official opening will not take place until early October, but these events have been arranged to illustrate the benefits of the new library with it now being the academic hub of the school.  The first of these events takes place on Thursday – a spoken word poetry workshop aimed at years 12 and 13.

 

On Thursday parents of year 12 students are invited into school to attend the Year 12 Information Evening.  The students have just embarked on their A Level studies and so it is important they understand what is to come over the next two years.  The evening starts at 7pm.

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mrs Coveney who successfully completed the Great North Run at the weekend.  It was her first attempt, completing it in a time of 2 hours and 25 minutes.  Well done and congratulations.

 

Following last week’s staggered return to school, this week is the first full week of the year.  On Monday, Year 7 enjoyed the presentation ‘Bach To The Future’ from Kent Music, the organisation that promotes and encourages young people to learn an instrument.  It was a success last year, so we invited them back this year, and once again the response from the boys was again extremely positive.

 

Today the teaching staff begin a yearlong programme of continuous professional development that will support our aims of improved academic excellence.  Our hard work over the last two years has identified key aspects of the school we wish to see develop, and so this vital training will address those areas and provide new ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.

 

On Wednesday we see the first senior rugby match of the year, playing Sutton Valence School in the National Cup.  A win will mean we play either Skinners’ School or our local rivals Oakwood Park Grammar School in the next round.  Good luck boys.

 

On Friday we will be enjoying our annual Beginning of Year Service and Upper School Speech Day, as well as Year 7 taking part in some team building activities.  This year’s guest of honour at Speech Day is Mr Paul Smith, former deputy head, who retired in 2017 and who gave 24 years’ service to the school.  We look forward to welcoming him back.

 

And at the weekend all of our rugby squads take part in their first game of the season, playing against Gravesend Grammar School. The U14 and U13 squads are at home with the U15 and 1^st and 2^nd XV squads being away.  Good luck to everyone.

 

Tuesday 3 September 2019

Welcome to the start of a new academic year, and welcome to the first blog.  For new readers the Headmaster’s Blog is published weekly, and gives readers a small insight into the workings of the school along with hearing about success stories.  

 

Before the year started we have already been busy analysing the summer examination results, and we are delighted to announce two sets of very pleasing and improving results at both GCSE and A-Level.  At A-Level 60% of all exam entries were graded A*- B, up 5% from last year and up 16% from 2017.  85% of all grades were graded A* - C, the highest we have ever had.  40 students achieved two A grades or better with 18 students achieving at least three A grades or better.  At GCSE 44% of all subject entries were graded 7 to 9, up 7% from the previous year.  99% of students gained five 9 to 4 grades, over 50% of students achieved five or more 7 to 9 grades, and over one-third of students achieved eight or more 7 to 9 grades. 

 

Over the next two days we welcome the students back to school.  Today, years 7, 12 and 13 return with the rest of the school returning tomorrow.  This staggered start will hopefully allow us to focus our attention on welcoming our newest students as well as dealing with the very important administration that always occurs at the start of the year.  Once all the students are here tomorrow we can then get on with the year which always starts with a whole school assembly.  Talking to the entire school community is always a delight, and fingers crossed for good weather as we need to have the assembly outside in the Quad.

 

Tuesday 16 July 2019

Well here it is, the final blog of the academic year.  I am sure many of you are looking forward to the summer holiday and having a well-deserved break.  It has been a busy year, but it is not over yet!

 

Firstly, congratulations to Merrick Scott of Corpus Christi House who won a gold medal in Karate for England in a tournament held in Japan at the weekend, at the same time achieving his black belt grading.  Well done Merrick.  And congratulations to William Watson of Tonbridge House who recently has been attending the Italia Conti School of Performing Arts in Tunbridge Wells.  At the weekend he took part in their bi-annual show at the Assembly Hall and was awarded the Italia Conti Prize for Upper Junior Acting.  Well done William.

 

Last night many members of staff enjoyed the company of Year 13 at the Leavers’ Prom, which was held this year at Leeds Castle.  The weather stayed dry which added to a pleasant evening, and Year 13 looked the part in their dinner jackets and evening dresses.  Thank you Year 13 for being a special year, and thank you to the staff who supervised the event until the early hours of the morning.

 

Today is Sports Day.  This annual event sees the entire school community come together to compete in houses for the Sports Cup.  Last year Corpus Christi House dominated the day, but will the other three houses want to see a different name on the cup this year.  

 

Tomorrow is a new event in the school calendar, but an important one.  We are inviting the many supporters of the school who volunteer their time for free to join us in school for us to say thank you.  Representatives from the Governing Body, the Parents’ Association, the Old Maidstonian Society and the MGS Development Fund will be attending as well as referees who have supported our sporting fixtures, volunteers who support the CCF, and representatives from Maidstone Mind and CAST.

 

Thursday evening is the end of year staff party where we say goodbye to those members of staff who are leaving the MGS Community.  This year we are saying goodbye to 10 of our colleagues, who have collectively given 70 years’ service to the school.  We wish them all well in their new ventures.

 

And Friday is the last day of term and the last day of the academic year.  It will end in the usual way with the final assembly where we look back on the year and give out some more awards to recognise a variety of achievements.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

 

Tuesday 9 July 2019

Firstly, I would like to thank the entire staffing body for another excellent Extended Learning Week.  While Year 10 and Year 12 were completing a week of work experience, years 7 to 9 enjoyed a week of fun activities.  The weather stayed fine, which added to the success of the week, and the hard work in preparation for the week paid off.  Thank you.

 

On return to normality yesterday we held a very special event in the school.  Ben Babington-Browne, an Old Maidstonian who left in 2000, died tragically in Afghanistan exactly 10 years ago.  He was the last Old Maidstonian to have lost his life whilst serving in the armed forces, and so it was befitting to commemorate the occasion with a small memorial service.  In attendance was Ben’s family; Mr Turrell, Ben’s Headmaster as well as Governors.  Ben’s name, and all other names of Old Maidstonians who have lost their lives whilst serving since the 2^nd World War, will be remembered on a new memorial board that will hang in the new library. 

 

Also yesterday we welcomed parents of Year 10 into school to attend the Year 10 Parents’ Evening.  Even though we are nearing the end of the academic year it is vital at this stage to prepare the boys for the next 12 months, particularly as they are going to end that time with their GCSE examinations.

 

Today we welcome pupils from our local primary schools into school to enjoy two events: The Kent Music Primary Orchestra and Concert Day and our own Primary Outreach Brazil Event.  And then on Thursday we welcome our newest Maidstonians into school to enjoy the Year 6 Induction Day. Over 200 boys will spend the day with us getting to know each other and learning a bit more about the school they will be spending the next seven years in.  We hope they enjoy the day.

 

And on Friday we celebrate the founding of the School at the Founders’ Day Service and congratulate our youngest students in their achievements at the annual Lower School Speech Day.  The Rt Hon Helen Grant, MP is the Guest of Honour.

 

Tuesday 2 July 2019

Congratulations to the boys who took part in the Big Bang South East STEM Competition.  All of the boys performed very well following months of hard work at the weekly STEM club. Their projects made impressive displays and presentations.  Well done to Ali Shelley and Daniel Gray who both won a sponsor’s prize which consisted of a £50 amazon gift voucher, cup and certificate.

 

This week is probably the best week of the school year: Extended Learning Week.  Years 10 and 12 are enjoying a week of work experience and years 7 to 9 are collectively taking part in nearly 30 different activities, both in and out of school.  A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes in preparation for the week, and so I would like to thank all of those staff who have contributed.  I hope everyone enjoys themselves.  The School Facebook page will be updated daily so you can follow what is going on.

 

Tuesday 25 June 2019

Congratulations to Hamish Reilly of Corpus Christ House who, at the weekend, took part in the ETU European Youth Triathlon Championships.  On the Friday of the competition Hamish came through his semi-final in 3^rd place recording the fastest bike split of all 90 competitors.  In the final on the Saturday, Hamish again performed brilliantly to come home in 7^th place overall, and just 10 seconds off the podium positions. On the Sunday Hamish was part of the mixed team relay.  With 25 teams participating, it was very exciting as places kept changing.  Hamish was on the final leg, and successfully brought the team home in 6^th place.  Well done Hamish.

 

Congratulations to the Year 10 students who completed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award assessed expedition at the weekend.  The good weather meant for some pleasant walks around the Kent countryside.  Well done boys and thank you to all of the staff who volunteered their time to support.

 

Well done and thank you to the Art and Performing Arts departments for putting on the annual Art Exhibition and Summer Production of Bugsy Malone.  Many students contributed both their work and their talents to help create three wonderful nights of creativity and performance.  Congratulations to the art prize-winners and all those who took part in the show.  And thank you to all of the staff who supported the students over these last few months.

 

Tomorrow is a busy day.  A group of students from years 8 and 10 are taking part in the Big Bang South East Science Competition, psychology students from Year 12 are visiting Maidstone Crown Court as part of their A-Level studies, and Year 13 students come in to school to return their textbooks and attend the Leavers’ Tea following the end of the public examinations. 

 

Friday is also another busy day as a number of CCF cadets are attending the Armed Forces Day National Event, and we welcome students from Year 11 and our visiting students to attend the Pre-Sixth Form Induction Day. 

Tuesday 18 June 2019

Despite the heavy rain for most of last week we were able to put out a full side of cricket against St Olaves School.  The U12s and U14s were at home, and the U13s and U15s were away.  Sadly, only the U14s won their game bowling the other side out for 90 after giving them a target of 117.  Well done boys.

 

Congratulations to Sam Ghinn of Barton House who, as well as revising hard for his GCSEs, competed at the South East Regional Gymnastics Championships this weekend and won.  He is now the U18 Regional Champion winning gold on high bar, vault and parallel bars and silver on pommel, rings and floor.  Fantastic news.  Well done Sam.

 

This week is another busy week for the school.

 

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week we put on three nights of the production Bugsy Malone.  For months students and staff have been preparing for the show, but there has been little evidence of custard pies being launched all over the place!  Let’s wait and see what happens on opening night.  The show starts at 7pm and tickets can be purchased from the Bursary.

 

Also this week the GCSE and A-Level Art Exhibition takes place.  To complement the production visitors will be able to enjoy three days of art work produced by our budding artists for their respective examinations.  The Art Exhibition is always something I enjoy going to.  The opening is on Wednesday and starts at 4pm.  Do come along.

 

At the weekend the year 10 students who have chosen to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award will complete their assessed expedition.  Up to 100 boys will be roaming the country lanes and footpaths of Kent hoping to get back to their start point.  Good luck to them all, thank you to the staff who will be supervising them, and fingers crossed for good weather.

Tuesday 11 June 2019

Firstly, I would like apologise for not being in a position for the school community to witness the D-Day Flypast last week.  The flypast was scheduled to fly over the school just after 2.30pm, but there was a delay with take-off that meant the planes did not reach Maidstone until just before 5pm.  Some staff and students though remained in school to enjoy the occasion which will be remembered for a long time, and thank you to the CCF led by Mr Parish who arranged a display on the field which we were able to catch on camera.

 

This week is a very busy one for the school.

 

Yesterday and today, I am out of school attending the Grammar School Heads’ Association annual conference.  It is a chance for grammar school headteachers across the country to meet up and discuss matters that affect our schools.  Guest Speaker this year is the Rt Hon Nick Gibb, MP who is the Schools Minister, and in fact an Old Maidstonian.

 

Today and tomorrow students from Year 12 are off normal timetable to undertake two days looking at matters that affect them.  Today’s focus is UCAS, higher education and the world of work; and tomorrow’s focus is on personal, social and health education.  We hope the students value the days.  At the end of tomorrow’s sessions, the students will be receiving their Year 12 UCAS examination results – results that will help them understand what they could achieve this time next year.  Following on from the day, parents of the students will be invited into school to attend the UCAS Information Evening.

 

On Thursday and Friday students from Year 10 who are studying geography will be visiting Reculver, just outside Herne Bay, to complete a day’s field work.  Let us hope they don’t come back sunburnt!  Also on Friday, some more students from Year 7 visit Bletchley Park, following a previous trip there back in December. 

Tuesday 4 June 2019

Welcome back to the final term of the school year; I hope you all had a good half term holiday and were able to enjoy the fine weather at the weekend.

 

Just before half term 12 year 8 students (two teams of six) took part in the National Institute of Engineering and Technology Competition. Congratulations to the team consisting of William Fletcher, David Ringelmann, Charles Stanley, Archie Coombe, Marc Venegas-Grau and Fraser Passmore who successfully won the competition.  Runners up were Mahrus Syed, Charlie Hilder, Sam French, Sonny Henley, Jack Creasy and Ali Shelley.  Well done boys.

 

A Level and GCSE examinations continue this week for our year 13 and year 11 students, but examinations for other year groups have now finished.  Three more weeks to go!

 

Yesterday was an additional day’s holiday for most of the school as staff completed a day’s training.  Much of the focus at this time of year is looking towards the next academic year, so staff were working on a number of areas we wish to further develop from September.  

 

Today, being the first real day of school following the holiday, sees the beginning of our House Teas.  Since the new vertical house structure was introduced we have been inviting year 6 boys and their parents in to enjoy an hour or so with us preparing for next year.  The boys get a chance to meet each other and their house teams whilst the parents enjoy a cuppa and a natter with senior staff.  The teas take place each afternoon for the rest of the week.

 

Today is also the launch of the 2019 Inter-House Photography Competition.  Once again students and staff have an opportunity to demonstrate their photography skills and enter the competition, with this year’s theme being Identity.  Good luck all.

 

Tomorrow is a very special day for the School as we will be able to watch the D-Day 75^th Anniversary flypast that is flying over Maidstone in the afternoon.  Over 40 planes are flying over to Normandy for the celebrations, and their route is taking them right over the School.  The entire school community will be out on the field watching.

 

And finally, this term also sees the beginning of our Quad assemblies.  With the weather usually being on our side, Quad assemblies are opportunities for the entire school to come together outside in the Quad.  Those members of staff who deliver the assemblies always enjoy being able to speak to the whole school outside in the fine weather in a beautiful part of the school.